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Sep72013

Unboxing: ASUS Z87 Sabertooth Motherboard for Haswell Overview

Designed for Intel's latest Haswell CPUs, the ASUS Z87 Sabertooth motherboard features a robust design and a multitude of options that will fit anyone's needs. The sleek Thermal Armor design of the Z87 Sabertooth offers durability that can resist damage and better airflow for cooling.

Accessories

It also comes with a multitude of dust covers that can be installed on PCIe, DRAM and other connectors to promote better airflow to cool the board.

Top

The entire motherboard is covered by ASUS' Thermal Armor that offers a robust look and feel to the Z87 Sabertooth. By installing the two optional fans, you can increase the airflow on the motherboard to better cool components and in turn, gain more stability for overclocks.

CPU Socket

The Z87 Sabertooth is designed to run on the LGA1150 socket for the 4th generation Intel CPUs. The motherboard also utilizes TUF components such as 10K black metallic capacitors and MOSFETs that are put through military-graded tests to ensure that the motherboard will not fail, even under the most demanding situations.

Back IO Ports

The back I/O port on the Sabertooth Z87 features:

1 x DisplayPort

1 x HDMI

2 x eSATA 6Gb/s

1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)

4 x USB 3.0 (blue)

4 x USB 2.0

1 x Optical S/PDIF out

6 x Audio jack(s)

1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s)

SATA

The brown SATA ports on the Z87 Sabertooth support up to six SATA 6G drives on the Intel Z87 chipset. The two beige SATA ports support two SATA 6G drives on the AMS1061 controller.

Back

The TUF Fortifier back plate on the Z87 Sabertooth is designed so that the motherboard does not bend or break under the weight of heavy graphics cards or CPU cooling solutions. This decreases the stress on the motherboard and the potential damage of circuitry.

UEFI Bios

Utilizing American Megatrends UEFI bios, the Z87 Sabertooth continues ASUS' commitment to the standard. The beauty of UEFI bios is that you can now change settings using the mouse as opposed to just the keyboard. The new EZ-Mode on the Z87 Sabertooth makes it easy for the user to quickly adjust settings such as the clock, fan and SATA names for you to easily distinguish between drives.

Conclusion

The Z87 Sabertooth by ASUS is a magnificent motherboard. From the Thermal Armor design to the features and software supported, the Z87 Sabertooth has something to please everyone. If you are searching for a motherboard that supports the Z87 chipset, the Z87 Sabertooth by ASUS is a serious contender.